Murkowski casts vote with Democrats that blocks Trump effort to keep FBI headquarters in DC

Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted Thursday with Democrats to effectively block President Trump's effort to keep FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. 

Murkowski, who has frequently opposed Trump's agenda, cast the vote during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting in which members were working on fiscal 2026 funding for the Justice Department. 

However, the early so-called "markup" effort came to a halt when an amendment by Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen to block Trump's plan unexpectedly passed in the Republican-controlled committee, with Murkowski casting the deciding vote. 

Van Hollen's amendment blocks the Trump administration from using federal dollars to move the FBI headquarters to a site other than in Greenbelt, Maryland, in the suburbs just outside Washington. 

The General Services Administration selected the Greenbelt site in 2023, during the previous Biden administration.

Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, closed the meeting after the amendment vote, amid the Sept. 30 deadline to pass appropriations bills or risk a federal government shutdown.  

"The Democrats, with one Republican vote, were able to add an amendment that basically turns upside down the president’s decision about where to put the FBI building,” said committee member Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy. "I think the president is going to be furious.”

Trump wants the new headquarters moved from the J. Edgar Hoover building to the Ronald Reagan Building, just blocks away in downtown D.C. He argues his relocation plan would save taxpayers billions. 

“My understanding is that this has been a decision that was made just very recently,” said Murkowski said,according to The Hill newspaper. “So I, for one, would like to know that this analysis has actually been going on for more than just a couple months, that there’s actually been that effort to ensure that we’re going to move forward.”

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.